Greeting from Romania !

[Cojman]

Greetings from Romania !

Hello everyone ,my name is Alex
First of all sorry for my bad english.

I'm just 14 years old and i recently saw on youtube a lot of videos with karts.I never drived one and I don't have the possibility ,not because I'm poor ,near my location there isn't any karting place.I decided to start to build a kart.I have plans.I just need some money.From summer i will start to collect funds ,i can't start earlier ,i'll start from summer because i'll go to a near grape culture to work and get some money.I'm just wondering because i don't know where to buy the engine and other parts that I can't collect from a car junkyard.I have 20 pages of plans with what to place where but i still can't understand nothing.I have some good friends that have some knowledges in engineering.This isn't the main problem.I just wanted to introduce myself and ongoing maybe i can collect some kart parts before i can go to get money.Until then i can collect information and make my own plans that i can understand ,maybe i will put them on a post to show you.
Sorry that i writed to much.
So ,hello everyone !

 

[OzFab]

Welcome Alex.

You didn't write too much, we prefer you tell us as much as possible so we have a good understanding of you & your project...

If you build an offroad kart, you can ride it anywhere from quiet streets to local paddocks; the only real differences between a yard kart & an offroader is ground clearance, tyre height &, possibly, gearing...

Good luck with you search & your build &, of course, ask any questions you have

 

[itsid]

Welcome Alex;

Nice to have you around..
well the most common engine is a Honda GX200 or clone;
and by clone we're talking about cheapish chinese knockoff engines, that are more or less a copy of said Honda.

You will find them almost everywhere, I'm sure even in Romania it's an engine you could easily find...
if you look around for a "6.5 HP engine", you'll find one, they're in tillers, cement mixers, pressure washers, generators etc.pp.
Or check your local auction site.

If you have any question feel free to ask, that's why we're here

'sid

 

[firemanjim]

Welcome! You started your journey on the correct path. Start with reading through our posts. Use the search icon to get straight to what you want to know. And ask questions if you need help in comprehending something. By the time you have your money and parts,you will know what you are doing....

 

[Cojman]

Thank you all for your support.
I want to build it for roads.[through my villages passes a national road that is straight and has no holes in it ,also has a lot of secondary long streets where i can drive it.
See you

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Welcome to DIYGK, Alex. There is a lot of good information here, and nice people to help you along your way. I expect you'll be busy reading for awhile!

 

[Cojman]

Thank you.
Yes ,I think so
I mention that I weigh 80kg ,is that to much for a kart? [which is the minimal engine cm3 and hp for my weight including the kart's weight?
I am around 1,70 m tall.
These days i will try to make the plans on PC and post them.

 

[itsid]

Thank you.
Yes ,I think so
I mention that I weigh 80kg ,is that to much for a kart? [which is the minimal engine cm3 and hp for my weight including the kart's weight?
I am around 1,70 m tall.
These days i will try to make the plans on PC and send them to you.

Well.. although there are skinny people around, I think most of us weigh more than 80kg

I think you should go and get 5HP at least,
while smaller engines will work too, it's more difficult to set up a good gear ratio without a jackshaft;
And since smaller engines aren't necessarily cheaper, I'd say go for a 6.5 HP clone (~200 cm³, 4 stroke), that's not too much power, and can still provide loads of fun,
you can easily find clutches, spare parts, torque converters and even tuning parts to further improve the experience

But more important is what you can get, so take a look around and see what's on the market for a price you're willing to pay.

'sid

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Your best bet is to get an engine rated in the 5-8hp range. For our typical engine type, that's generally 160cc up to maybe 250cc.

 

[Cojman]

I'm willing to pay more money ,but at the end i will get a better kart.I think this Honda GX390 would be good : http://tehnic.allshops.ro/produs/843450/Motor+HONDA+GX390.html ,huh ?
As soon as I'll get some money ,I'll start to buy parts.I think i can get some small parts from the local car junkyard ,such the seat ,tires and the steering wheel [or how it's named]
Do you think that Honda GX390 is good ?
And one more question ,how do i know which is the top speed with the information that I have from the engine?
It has 389 cc and 11 hp , 4 strokes i think.

 

[itsid]

great.. it be more expensive than necessary, but a perfect engine for sure.
just keep in mind that you need a matching clutch or torque converter, which is more expensive for an engine that size too.
Also any tuning parts (if needed one day) servicing parts (gaskets and the like) ...

So, if this is your first try.. maybe start a little lower...
that one for example.. cheap, and enough HP with cheaper clutches available
http://tehnic.allshops.ro/produs/1459736/Motor+de+6,5CP.html
or, if you want the quality product:
http://tehnic.allshops.ro/produs/843451/Motor+HONDA+GX200.html

'sid

 

[Cojman]

Ok ,you know what you are saying ,i will follow your example and i think I'll buy the first 6,5CP ,i know nothing about that things ,i'm just saying my opinion .
So ,how do I calculate the top speed? And .. how much it will cost me all the kart [new parts] with that 6,5 hp engine ,and medium quality parts ?[approximately?]

 

[Doc Sprocket]

The Honda GX series is the best of the best, in my opinion. But like itsid said above, it WILL cost you more for that 390. The engines we usually use, have a 3/4" shaft size. Those "big blocks" have a larger shaft and the components for those cost more.

 

[Cojman]

Man ,how much it will cost me all the kart with that GX390 ,and how much with that first 6,5hp in the first link that sid posted [new parts] ?
And how do i calculate the top speed?
Sorry for asking many times but you didn't respond me

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Alex- please be patient. Responses don't always come immediately. It depends on who is online and sees your post, or even has an answer for you.

I cannot comment on pricing. As you are in Europe, I have absolutely NO idea what this is going to cost you.

As for your speed- it's way too early to try to calculate that. It depends on the engine, weight, gearing, tires, clutch type, terrain, etc.

 

[Cojman]

Ok man ,sorry
I understand now.
I will come with the plans asap.
Nothing more to say now that i have nothing

 

[itsid]

Oh just one word of advice..
Do not get yourself car wheels/tires.. they're too heavy and too large in almost all occasions for a kart.
But show us the plans, then we can be more specific on your possibilities
(expected price, top speed etc...)

'sid

 

[Cojman]

Man ,i get KART TIRES from a car junkyard [that place in my location where are a lot of destroyed things (some people throw and good things )]
I think the plans will be finished in 1-2 days because at Christmas mum won't be home and I and dad we'll have to do all the things

 

[Cojman]

Some ideas.... ?
http://postimg.org/image/5o1fg34kd/
I made something fast ,to ask you some questions.
[there aren't the permanent dimensions of the kart]
I just want to ask you if i can put the engine at the back of the seat and if i can ,how will be the chain and the pinion placed ? i need to make an other support for the engine ?I don't know how to explain ,and.. if i want to put a disk brake ,how do i put the disk on the shaft ?
Sorry that I'm asking stupid questions but i can't find anything with that da,mn search button.

 

[firemanjim]

Your drawing looks decent. When measuring, we measure center to center of the axles, not the tires as they vary. The engine will bolt to a plate that goes across the 2 bars at the axle. The disc brake will mount to a hub that clamps onto the axle, like the axle sprocket.